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How to Identify Shortwave Water Vapor

Whether you want to get involved in amateur meteorology and storm chasing or plan to become a professional meteorologist, you will spend a lot of time examining satellite and radar imagery of cloud formations to learn where the next big storm breakout will happen. You may have already heard the term shortwave troughs and wondered what it meant. Shortwaves are disruptions in the middle or upper atmosphere that can cause rapid upward air currents just ahead of the movement of air masses. These currents often result in major storms. One way to find shortwaves is to use satellite water vapor imagery.

Things You'll Need

Computer
Internet access

Instructions

- 1
  Go to the NOAA Satellite and Information Service GOES Image Server Web page. This page offers updated animated loops of satellite images of water vapor clouds. The animated images allow you to track the cloud movement that is key to locating the shortwave troughs.
- 2
  Browse the locations offered and click on the projector icon under the area you want to examine, such as ̶0;East CONUS̶1; or ̶0;West CONUS.̶1; On the next page, either a Java or Flash version of the animated loop will play.
- 3
  Move the slider handle at the bottom of the player to the middle of the slider control to adjust the speed of the animation.
- 4
  Look for rotating bands of light-colored clouds in the animation. You will find shortwave troughs in front of these bands of clouds.

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